Report: Mike Mitchell fielding calls from a lot of teams

Safety Mike Mitchell made the most of a one-year deal in 2013, starting 14 games and providing the NFC South champion Panthers with solid play in the back end of the secondary.

That would seem to position him well for a longer deal this offseason and early reports about interest in Mitchell around the league do nothing to change that opinion. Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reported Saturday that Mitchell fielded calls from the Bears, Eagles, Falcons and Broncos and added the Redskins to the list on Sunday.

Person adds that the Redskins join their NFC East rivals from Philadelphia as the teams showing the most interest in Mitchell. While we can’t be sure what that interest will amount to when it comes time for players to actually sign contracts, both teams are in major need of help at safety and Mitchell would certainly be an upgrade over what they had in 2013.

The Panthers aren’t out of the mix, but their limited cap space could make it hard for them to compete for Mitchell while also making other moves to bolster the team for the 2014 season.

Settle down, he’s an alright player who benefited from a great front 7. If I had my choice of a guy to take from Carolina’s secondary I would take Munnerlyn all day. He’s another one who’s not great, but when he gets the ball in his hands he scores with it.

So now we have some posters declaring what a great draft choice Mitchell was by Old Al. For their Second round (number 47 overall) selection, the Raiders got less than 22 tackles a season and half an INT per season for four seasons. Some how, I doubt that is what the expectation was on draft day. Throw in another 50 some odd tackles and a couple of more picks, and you’re still not talking about the second coming of Ronnie Lott.

As an eagles fan i prefer Byrd. But if they get Mitchell and add Jenkins or someone in the draft like Pryor, that’d be nice too. They made the most of their D last year. Mitchell , Wolfe and Pryor or Jenkins would def be a big upgrade than last year. We’ll see what happens, but sometimes FAs prefer to go to the better team which should eliminate the skins or anyone else in the NFC east. Go eagles!

Oakland let him go because he couldn’t cover, missed tackles, and was good for a really dumb penalty every few games. He had a good game here and there but let’s not act like he’s an elite player.

If I were a GM I’d be weary if Carolina’s talent masked his shortcomings. Though it could be a change of scenery did the kid well.

NabbyNab says:Mar 9, 2014 1:46 PM

Also, Michael Huff had a muuuuuch better year than Mitchell and he was let go and that was the right call. As was not paying Wheeler above his value. Or keeping Wimbley at a huge contract. Hindsight is 20/20.

pilonflats says:Mar 9, 2014 2:34 PM

Mitchell should have played on the raiders back in the 70’s – he’s a beast, but doesn’t always fit in well with the modern nfl (different penalty standards and SS needing to cover more).

Does anybody honestly think that Al Davis got “the last laugh” with that DHB/Mike Mitchell draft? Honestly? Of course not! Just blind support for a guy who used to be relevant. Don’t let the memory of what once was, color the reality of what it became.

As an Eagles fan, history has taught me if you hear a rumor about the Eagles being interested in someone, they probably are not interested but are leaking it to the press so that they drive up the price for someone else.

You typically only hear about their true interests right before, or after they’ve signed said player. It’s why they rarely over pay for a player.

Mitchell brought an attitude to our secondary that has been missing since Mike Minter era, Mitchell gets in guys heads, but also get stupid penalties and plays a little dirty. He also struggles in coverages and benefited from Carolina’s front 7.

Captain Munnerlyn- 5-8 corner who is good in the slot, but struggles vs bigger WR on the out side.

Melvin White- UDRFA in 2013 , that started on the outside most of the season.

Robert Lester- See Melvin White.

Josh Norman, 5th pick in 2012 who was benched and played here and there throughout the season.

Drayton Florence- Washed up vet, who still had a little left in the tank.

Quintin Mikell- seen Drayton Florence

Josh Thomas- UDRFA that Cowboys picked up and then cut, and we picked up on the waiver wire.

and then Mike Mitchell,

Those were the nobodies playing in our back field, I would say our front 7 was the reason those guys were able to not get abused constantly.

There isn’t a safety out there that the Eagles shouldn’t be taking a hard look at. They have a few backups that are solid special teams guys, like Anderson and Coleman who were solid in special teams, the only guy on the roster I’m remotely comfortable with is Earl Wolff, who’s a 5th rd rookie (and I’m not sure if he’s actually good, or just not as awful as the rest). Chung and Nate Allen aren’t even NFL players, let alone NFL starters.

I don’t think they’ll be in on Ward or Byrd. I Think Byrd is going to want too much, and I don’t think Ward is a system fit. But I think they are going to try to move quick on a few of the 2nd teir guys (guys like Jenkins, Bethea, Mitchell) and try to get them while other teams are still holding out hope for those 2